LAKEWOOD'S MEDICAL HERITAGE

Dr. Jared Potter Kirtland (1793-1877) was Lakewood's most illustrious citizen of the 19th century, a naturalist, doctor, legislator, teacher and writer. He was one of the founders of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and the Western Reserve Medical School. His rambling farm, Whippoorwill, stretched from Madison to the Lake, near Bunts Road, and was a show place for visitors from far away. In his unusual garden one could see plants, trees, shrubs and flowers seldom found in this part of the country, such as cypress, Chinese ginkgo, Japanese paulownia and Siberian beech. He perfected strawberry and raspberry plants and cherry trees, all named for him. Here too the Kirtland warbler was discovered. Lakewood can be proud that he chose to live in this community during his most productive years. (From Margaret Manor Butler's Romance in Lakewood Streets)

Dr. Henry L. Sook, 1828-1892, a homeopathic physician, practiced in Lakewood from 1879 to 1892. He studied at Cleveland Homeopathic Hospital and practiced in Steubenville, Ohio until 1869. He settled in Lakewood in 1879 with his third wife, Sarah, and had three children; twins Sally and Letitia, and Josephine. Their home was on Detroit Street near Victoria Avenue. A long veranda ran across the front of the house, where an excellent view of the lake could be enjoyed. His property contained a vineyard which extended to Hilliard.

Dr. John C. Hobson, 1842-1922, was a descendant of a Quaker family from Pennsylvania. He was a Civil War veteran and a graduate of Western Reserve Medical College. Dr. Hobson moved to Rockport in 1880. He lived first on Cannon Avenue, in 1883 he built a home at 17618 Detroit, which was located in an apple orchard.

Dr. Hobson was the typical country doctor. He drove day or night no matter what the weather to homes in Lakewood, Rocky River and Bay Village. His horse Bessie, brown with a white nose, was a familiar and welcome sight. He cared for the sick, delivered nearly all the babies for twenty years and performed minor surgery in farmhouse kitchens. There were no convenient drugstores or dental offices, so he dispensed his own medicine and extracted teeth.

Dr. Hobson was active in the Lakewood Schools and served on the Lakewood School Board from 1897-1911. As a Civil War veteran, he was a member of the Grand Army of the Republic. He passed away in November, 1922 at the age of 80.

Dr. Albert E. McClure, 1870-1930, came to Rockport in 1893 from Canada to take over the practice of Dr. Sook. He married Ethel Hall, daughter of Mathew Hall, in 1896. They lived at 16702 Detroit and had two children, Margaret and Edward. In later years, Dr. McClure resided and practiced at 11609 Lake Ave. McClure Drive between Ethel and Edward Avenues was named for his family.

Dr. C. Lee Graber, 1874-1954 was a founder of Lakewood Hospital. He began practicing medicine in 1904. In 1907, he and his wife Belle Taylor Graber, mortgaged their home to obtain funds to purchase a frame building for a small hospital at Belle and Detroit. This small 15 patient hospital opened on Oct. 25, 1907. In 1917, a new building was constructed in front of the original frame hospital. This year (2007), Lakewood Hospital is celebrating it's 100th anniversary and has grown to a facility of over 400 beds. It is now part of the Cleveland Clinic Health System and provides care for over 130,000 patients a year.

Amanda Francazio, Curator
Lakewood Historical Society Newsletter 11/2007

See also:

"Kirtland's prescription was good for growth," Lakewood Lore

"Graber's dream became city's 410-bed hospital," Lakewood Lore

Articles have appeared in the Lakewood Historical Society Newsletter.